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We’re looking to make some changes at Pads & Panels, but we don’t want to do it without your help. Whether you’re one of our readers, or a publisher, developer or PR group we work with, we’d like to hear what you think about the site (good and bad), as well as get feedback on some of the proposed changes. They’re explained in detail below, with the first being the biggest change of the bunch. Please provide us some feedback, either via email or in comments on this post.

PopCap Games has been kind enough to offer four downloads of Plants vs. Zombies for PC, #3 on our list of Best Games of 2009, for giveaways, so we’re going to use those as incentive and as a thank you for helping us with this. After this Friday, we’ll pick four people at random from all the feedback we receive to get a free download of the game. If you’re one of those picked, we’ll get in touch with you, then pass your email along to PopCap to provide you with that download. Thanks in advance for your help. We’re excited about making the site better with your input.

Long-Form vs. Short-Form

For almost one year now, all of our reviews have come one size fits all. They’ve been full-bodied, and we’ve received some praise on that, with compliments hailing them as “epic” and “informative.” Still, even we think we’re getting a bit wordy at times (*cough* *cough* right now), and we know that not everyone has time to sit down and read a three-page review. We don’t necessarily want to cater to the A.D.H.D. culture of the internet and reduce our posts to 140 characters, but we do want to work for a solution that’s both best for our readers and writers.

So, we’re introducing short-form reviews. They won’t replace the long-form ones entirely (as we still believe in good journalism and that some games deserve detailed reports). But many games don’t need three pages, so we’re introducing a new format in which we give a one-paragraph run down, followed by some pros and cons. The goal is not to provide readers with less information on title, but present it in a more concise fashion, cutting to the chase on what potential buyers need to know. We see it as a discussion starter, so we’re always taking questions and comments. DJ Hero and Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth are examples of our new short-form, while Rock Band and almost everything else we’ve written are examples of the long-form, though these titles are not necessarily indicative of which games we would choose for those spots (some things were already written).

We’ll still do long-form reviews (maybe one a week), and they’ll be picked by which games warrant the most conversation, not necessarily what the biggest release is. Sometimes the year’s big name shooter can be summarized briefly, but it’s the new, daring unknown title that needs more focus. We also think this benefits games (the good ones at least), whether they wind up long or short. Fast Food Panic, for instance, might not be familiar to many. Sarah liked it, but how many people without prior interest in it are likely to read a two-page review? Now if the game got a good rating, we think people would be more likely to read a blurb, get the gist of it, and look into more, rather than pass up the story altogether. On the flip side, whether familiar or not, people should realize that whatever gets the long-form spot is something we felt was worth the extra discussion (good or bad) and therefore worth a read.

But what do you think? Let us know if you like the new short-form blurbs. We tentatively named them Nuggets, but we’re not sure we like it and we’re open to suggestions. We’d likely be doing this with our comic reviews as well, maybe even film and products. What do you think of the presentation of these reviews? Like, dislike? What would you do differently?

Ponderings

Bill and Dan wrote the first two of these Saturday, but the idea is to have the staff take turns presenting them. Consider it a behind-the-scenes look, or a more direct line to the personalities of our writers. The purpose of Ponderings is to provide an avenue for our writers to casually address some of the games and comics they’re playing, deliver opinions on recent industry news, and maybe even get a little off-topic here and there. It’s a chance for the readers to get to know the staff a little better, and maybe even strike up some conversation.

What do you think of this idea? Is there anything else along these lines you’d like to see?

More Interviews and Features

This is something we’ve wanted to do from the very start, but with man hours scarce, it’s been hard to get off the ground. Maybe the short-form reviews will free up a little time and we can fill that with something here. Reviews are sort of the backbone of any video games and comics journalism site, but what we want to see more of (and frankly what we like to read most) are interviews with the creators. We want to provide more one-on-one coverage with developers, writers, artists and more, and maybe even let you help ask some of the questions.

We’d also like to bring more features – from the Cool People series, to unique locations in gaming and comics, to brand new humor articles and silly lists. One idea Bill has been working on is writing a series of reviews from the perspective of an 80-year-old grandma who has been sat down to try some of today’s games. If anyone saw Bill’s video in Ponderings this week, we’d also like to consider doing more creative things based on games and comics.

Would you like to see more interviews and features? Who would you like to see us get on the site? What else would you like to see from this area of progress?

Audio/Visual Content

If we make any steps in this department, they likely won’t come right away. They’ll take a little more time to plan. We’ve mulled a podcast for the last year, but just haven’t had the time and don’t want to do it half-heartedly when we get there. A podcast would very likely all but replace the Ponderings down the road if we did it, as staff would share their opinions and commentary on the show.

We could also bring the interviews in audio format, and though being based in Chicago limits our hands-on contact possibly even on video. We’ll be heading to PAX East at the end of March, and may mess around with a camera there.

What we want to know is – what do you think of audio/visual content? Would you like to see more of this? Would you like to see it replace some of the text? Are you someone who likes text because it is easy to browse at work, or would you prefer A/V presentations that you can listen or watch on a mobile device?

Anything Else?

Seriously. Any ideas at all? We’re a small organization, so we definitely won’t be able to change everything overnight. To be honest, we don’t want to. There’s a lot we feel we’ve done right in the first year, but see the opportunity for some constructive changes, and we’re looking for feedback to make you as much a part of this as we are. So any other ideas you have, please feel free to let us know. Whether you’re a reader, publisher, developer or work for a public relations company. Let us know. We’re listening.

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Posted: 09 Feb, 2010 | [12] Comments
Categories: Miscellaneous | Tags: , , | By: Bill.